Legislative Assembly Sessional Orders

Sessional Orders of the Legislative Assembly

Sessional orders are temporary rules of procedure that supplement or override the standing orders. Sessional orders only apply for the current session of Parliament, that is until the Assembly expires ahead of a general election or Parliament is prorogued.

Sessional Orders of the Legislative Assembly were adopted by the House on 12 February 2015 and amended on 6 August 2015, 4 May 2016 and 23 June 2016, 20 September 2017 and 19 September 2018.

1

DAYS AND TIMES OF MEETING

Unless otherwise ordered, the House will meet each Tuesday at 12.00 pm, and each Wednesday and Thursday at 9.30 am.

2

INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS FOR ADJOURNMENT

Standing Order 32 be suspended and the following to apply:

(1)

Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the Speaker will interrupt the business before the House at:

(a)

7.00 pm each sitting Tuesday and Wednesday;

(b)

5.00 pm on any other sitting day.

(2)

If a division is taking place when the time for the interruption arises, the division will be completed and the result announced. If the division is on a closure motion, and the motion is agreed to, the question or questions then required to be put to close the issue before the House will also be dealt with. The Speaker will then interrupt business.

(3)

If the time for the interruption arises:

(a)

at the same time as the completion time set by the government business program; or

(b)

after the interruption for the completion time of the government business program, but before all business on the program has been dealt with —

all business on the government business program will be completed first. The Speaker will then interrupt business for the adjournment.

(4)

After the interruption:

(a)

before a motion for the adjournment is proposed by the Speaker, a minister may move that the sitting be continued. That motion must be put immediately without amendment or debate. If it is agreed to, the House will resume debate at the point at which it had been interrupted; or

(b)

if a motion is not moved, the Speaker will immediately propose the question 'That the House now adjourns'. Any business under discussion and any other business not concluded at the time of the adjournment will be listed on the notice paper for the next sitting day. Any member speaking at the time of the interruption may, when debate resumes, continue his or her speech.

3

WHO MAY ASK ORAL QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Only non-government members may ask questions without notice under Standing Order 55.

4

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

(1)

At the conclusion of each answer to an oral question without notice, the questioning member may ask the responding minister a supplementary question to elucidate or clarify the answer.

(2)

Supplementary questions must actually and accurately relate to the original question and must relate to or arise from the answer.

5

MINISTERS' STATEMENTS

After each oral question without notice and any related supplementary questions, any minister may seek the call to make a statement of up to two minutes to advise the House about matters related to their portfolio.

6

TIME LIMITS ON ANSWERS AND QUESTIONS

(1)

The time limit for each oral question, supplementary question and constituency question is one minute.

(2)

The time limit for the answer to each oral question is three minutes, and for the answer to each supplementary question is one minute.

7

CONSTITUENCY QUESTIONS

(1)

At the conclusion of oral questions without notice and ministers' statements, five government members and five non-government members may ask one oral question each to ministers relating to constituency matters.

(2)

Replies to constituency questions must be given in writing within 30 days by delivering a reply to the Clerk. The Clerk must give the response to the member who asked the question and electronically publish the response.

8

DURATION OF QUESTION TIME

Standing Order 55(2) is suspended and the following apply:

Question time will last until five oral questions and related supplementary questions have been answered, and up to five ministers' statements have been made.

9

CONTENT OF ANSWERS

(1)

Standing Order 58(1)(a) be suspended and all answers to questions must be direct, factual, succinct and relevant.

(2)

The Speaker may determine that an answer to an oral question without notice or supplementary oral question is not responsive to the question, and may accordingly direct the minister to provide a written response to the question and lodge it with the Speaker by 2.00 pm on the next sitting day. The Speaker will forward the written response to the member who asked the question and the Clerk must electronically publish the response.

(3)

The Speaker will determine the adequacy of a written response to a question provided under this sessional order. The Speaker may determine that a written response does not appropriately answer the question and may direct that the minister provide another written response by 2.00 pm the next sitting day. The Speaker will forward the written response to the member who asked the question and the Clerk must electronically publish the response.

10

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON NOTICE

A reply to a question on notice delivered to the Clerk under SO 54(3) must be submitted within 30 days.

11

NOTICES OF MOTION

Standing Orders 140(1) and 141 be suspended and the following to apply:

(1)

A member may only move a motion to discuss a subject if he or she has given notice of that motion on a previous sitting day.

(2)

Copies of all notices, whether to be given verbally or in writing, must be provided to the Clerks at the table before notices are called on by the Speaker.

(3)

All notices given by ministers must be verbal.

(4)

Verbal notices must be read to the House. They can only be given before the House proceeds to the business of the day as set out in the notice paper.

(5)

All notices, except notices given under paragraph (6) given by members who are not ministers, must be given in writing. Members may give notice by lodging a copy with the Clerks in accordance with paragraph (2).

(6)

A motion by a member expressing no confidence in the Premier and ministers, in the terms set out in s 8A of the Constitution Act 1975, may only be only be given verbally.

(7)

The Clerk must notify the Speaker of a notice of a motion by a member to disallow a statutory rule to which Standing Order 151 applies, and the Speaker will report details to the House at the first convenient opportunity.

12

TIME LIMIT FOR LEAD SPEAKERS

For the purposes of Standing Order 131, and subject to any agreement to the contrary, additional time provided for the lead speaker of any other party does not apply where such a party has advised the Speaker that it is in a coalition arrangement with another party.

13

ORDER OF BUSINESS

(1)

So much of standing orders as provide for question time to be held at 2.00 pm on sitting days other than Tuesdays is suspended to allow for question time to be held at 11.00 am on those days.

(2)

In Standing Order No 55, for '2.00 pm', wherever occurring, read '11.00 am'.

(3)

So much of Standing Order Nos 36, 38, 39 and 41 be suspended so as to enable the following order of business on:

Wednesdays

Formal BusinessDisallowance motionsStatements by membersStatements on parliamentary committee reportsGovernment businessQuestion time (11.00 am)Government business continuedMatter of public importance or grievance debate (2.00 pm)Government business continuedGeneral Business

Thursdays (and Fridays)

Formal businessStatements by membersGovernment businessQuestion time (11.00 am)Government business continuedGeneral Business

(4)

So much of Standing Orders 38 and 39 be suspended so as to enable:

(a)

at 2.00 pm on Wednesday, unless a division is taking place, the Chair interrupts the business before the House and the bells are then rung for one minute;

(b)

if a division is taking place at 2.00 pm:

(i)

it will be completed without interruption and result announced;

(ii)

if the division is on a closure motion, and the motion is agreed to, the question or questions then required to be put to close the issue before the House will also be dealt with;

(iii)

business is then interrupted following the procedure in sub-paragraph (a);

(c)

the Chair announces the grievance debate or matter of public of importance, whichever the case may be;

(d)

any business under discussion and not completed at the interruption will be resumed immediately at the end of the grievance debate or matter of public importance, whichever the case may be, and any member speaking at the time of the interruption may then continue his or her speech.

(5)

In Standing Order 39(9) for 'statements on parliamentary committee reports under SO 41' read 'government business'.

14

PROCEDURE FOR A DIVISION

Standing Order 164(1) is suspended and the following to apply:

When a division is requested, the Clerk will ring the bells for four minutes as indicated by the timer.